Features – Page 9 – Dustin Monke

Families recognized by Medal of Honor recipient at Patriot Guard memorial

Staff Sgt. Clint Romesha ended his speech Saturday afternoon at the seventh annual Patriot Guard Fallen Heroes Memorial and Honor Ride with words that spoke to the heart of everyone in attendance at the Dickinson Recreation Center.

“There’s an old saying that those who stay home serve also,” said Romesha, a U.S. Army veteran and the nation’s most recent Medal of Honor recipient, before receiving a standing ovation.

Romesha, a California native who now calls Minot home, was the guest of honor at the memorial that paid tribute to the families of four North Dakota soldiers who lost their lives in Iraq and Afghanistan.

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Golfing gem: The Links of North Dakota deals with oil’s impact

golf 1 — Ronnie Swartz, the head professional at The Links of North Dakota golf course near Ray, stands on Hole No. 2 at the course on June 6.

RURAL RAY — When it began gaining national recognition more than a decade ago, the Links of North Dakota golf course was known for its Scottish flair that harkened back to the game’s earliest days with a tranquil setting along the banks and bluffs of northern Lake Sakakawea.

Today, the course that bills itself as the best in the state — and has hardware to back up that claim — is in the middle of the western North Dakota madness that is the Bakken Oil Patch. When people use the word “flare” there, it has a widely recognized and wholly different meaning.

Ronnie Swartz, the head professional at The Links, said oil’s impact on the area surrounding the course can be seen in plain view at dusk.

“You can stand up on pretty much any hole and see them,” Swartz said. “At night, it looks like the hillsides are on fire just from the flares blowing off the natural gas.”

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Serenity in the Bakken: TRNP North Unit balancing beauty against oil boom’s impact

THEODORE ROOSEVELT NATIONAL PARK NORTH UNIT — Ron Sams remembers a time when very little of note happened here.

The U.S. law enforcement park ranger worked in the North Unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park from 1999 to 2001 before being transferred through the Department of the Interior.

He returned to the North Unit in 2008, just as the Bakken oil boom and all that came with it was beginning to dig into the northwest part of North Dakota.

“When I left here, I remember how quiet it was. When I came back, that was not the case any longer,” Sams said. “I’m not saying we’re as busy as Yosemite or some of the other parks I’ve worked in, but I’m seeing some of the same crimes here that I saw in other places. I should have expected it, because that’s what we’re supposed to do. But sleepy little Watford City, I think it surprised all of us.”

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Missing Miss Njos: Students, teachers react after beloved elementary teacher dies in weekend car crash

0326-njos-1 — A photo of Johanna Njos sits on a table in the hallway at Lincoln Elementary School in Dickinson on Monday as students sign a poster dedicated to the school’s gifted and talented teacher, who died Saturday in a car accident west of Amidon. Lincoln students also created cards, seen lying on the table.

Students and faculty at Lincoln and Berg Elementary Schools in Dickinson grieved Monday for a teacher who touched lives in Dickinson as well as on the other side of the world.

Johanna Njos was described by her co-workers as an adored teacher who devoted her life and career to serving others.

The 30-year-old educator who oversaw the gifted-and-talented program at the two schools, died Saturday afternoon when her car was struck by an oncoming semi truck after it slid into the opposite lane on ice-covered Highway 85 while attempting to negotiate a curve west of Amidon.

“There have been many tears and sadness,” said Tammy Praus, the principal at Lincoln Elementary School.

Njos, who taught 32 students from kindergarten through fifth grade, was hired by Dickinson Public Schools in 2006 after graduating from Dickinson State University.

From her first day, staff members said they could tell she was going to be a special teacher.

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Glasser hanging up whistle, ready for winter vacations

Jim Glasser is ready for some vacations to warmer climates in the winter.

At least that’s what his wife, Terry, tells him.

“She’s got plans for the winter time,” he said with a laugh.

After spending the first 21 years of his post-playing basketball career as a coach and the next 24 as an official, the 62-year-old Glasser is stepping away from the game.

“I think I’ll miss reffing more than I did teaching or coaching,” Glasser said. “It sounds funny. But, (you make) so many friends. You know all the coaches. I coached before, so I know how they were feeling during a game. You make friends with all the referees. We’ve got some good guys in southwest North Dakota.”

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